The Day She Disappeared

By: Sam Genever

Narrated by: Peter Noble

Discover the most gripping crime thriller of the year. Winner of the Joffe Books Prize. TRUST NO ONE.

Johannesburg, 1980s Apartheid South Africa.

Augustine flees her vengeful ex-boyfriend with nothing but her child and the clothes on her back, terrified he will find her.

Because she also possesses a dangerous secret.

One he will kill for. One he will never stop hunting her for.

But Augustine is rescued by a wealthy white housewife who takes pity on her, offering both employment and refuge. Or so she thinks.

It might seem that she is safe inside the walls of the prosperous Diamond family home, but outside her every move is watched. Her sanctuary has become her prison.

In this city, where trust is a rare commodity, Augustine has made a mistake that could cost her everything.

This absolutely gripping crime thriller is perfect for fans of Deon Meyer, J.M. Coetzee, Chris Hammer, Jane Harper, Chris Whitaker or Paul Mendelson.

THE SETTING

In the heart of 1980s Johannesburg, where sprawling suburbs meet crime-ridden neighbourhoods, the line between privilege and poverty is razor-thin. The quiet, suburban streets hide dark secrets behind their pristine facades while the streets hum with tension.

©2022 Sam Genever (P)2025 Audible Ltd.

confusing, sloppy ending

Wild weird ride through 1980s South Africa. Still not sure what exactly I was listening to. An edit of the book probably should have been made, I don't need to know every time someone pees behind a building, or what kind of beer they drink. Glad this was free...

Slow moving

This was very slow moving. Lost interest. The end definitely had some twists and turns but not worth the full listen

the action of the story

I couldn't get into the book they was all over the place with the story. I never fid figure outta what happened to augustine

Slow to develop

Excellent narration for a slow story. A mystery investigation spanning over 25 years is long. And by necessity, minutely detailed.

And then nothing.

Maybe if I have read this instead of listening the review could be different, but doubtful. The narrator was great. The story had too much, too little, too long, not enough. An ending wrapped up with a bow that doesn’t fit the author’s style for the rest of the book. Shrug. If you enjoyed it, I am glad you did! This is only my opinion, tiny as it is. <3

The middle is where it got good

Slow confusing start but super god midway and ending . The reading on the women agh made them sound like seventy year olds, perhaps more upbeat reader on them.

Interesting beginning but strayed as it went along.

I couldn’t even finish this. Halfway through I had lost track of the characters and it seemed like the whole story was off track. Disappointed in the writing.

very slow

i did not care for the story. it lacked so much. the author went into excruciating detail about flowers, sunset, grasses, birds- but missed out in dialogue and story. it dragged in many areas and never seemed to get to the point. about half of the characters could have been eliminated completely from the story. frustrating read. i won’t even go into the end. uhhh

So many unanswered questions

Overall I liked this story but it could have been so much better. There were multiple storylines going simultaneously that were never wrapped up. Maybe because it’s meant to be a series these other storylines will resurface? What happened to Augustine was so quick that it would have been easy to miss. I wondered through the rest of the book if I had it wrong and she would resurface at the end. There were several characters that were unnecessary making the story hard to follow at times. The narration was good although there were times it was difficult to distinguish between characters because there names were so similar. A decent read for a free book.

Good book

At first it was ok, then it got better, but then I got confused. I still have questions, but overall a goodish book.